THE FATE OF SMALL

Abstract

The publishing of literature has never been a notably profitable enterprise, but, with the increasing ascendency of mass market mediums including the internet, fewer people are spending less time reading literature for pleasure than before. As a result, literary publishers find themselves under considerable financial stress, and this is particularly true for small press publishers which are in competition with major, corporate publishers. However, when small presses find ways to adapt to the economic realities they face, they have a chance of survival. E-publishing technologies also hold forth the potential of reaching out to a new generation of readers.